Lawson E. Snyder

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) were sampled during summer and winter in the St. Johns River, Florida, to determine effects of summertime thermal stress on fish condition. Regressions of log weight on log length for winter and summer fish had significantly different slopes (P < 0.001) indicating larger fish were less robust than smaller fish in summer as compared to winter. Data were arbitrarily separated into 3 size categories (small = <331 mm TL; medium = 331-500 mm TL; large = >500 mm TL) to investigate thermal related stress by size. No negative seasonal impacts could be...

The use of otoliths for aging hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops x M. saxatilis), proved successful in central Florida where reading scales is not a reliable method. Verification of annulus formation was accomplished by checking known-age fish, determining the time of annulus formation and comparing assigned ages of fish with stocking records to verify that the number of annuli was not greater than expected. Aging by reading otoliths revealed that hybrids live at least 3 years longer than indicated by reported growth rates and length frequency analysis.